Turn Off the Lights
by Sherlock River Hekate
Summary: Inspired my a Panic!At the Disco song. Doctor Strange was asked to attend a dinner with the Avengers and the public. The metro-General Hospital had representatives at this same event.


All the Avengers were seated in various states of formal dress around the lounge room of the tower. This, much to his distaste, also included Doctor Stephen Strange. There was a big social event to be held on the foyer of Avengers tower; a chance for the public, or at least those with money, to meet Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Most of who, on Pepper's request, were in suits. The exception to that being Natasha, in a lovely black dress, and both Thor and Doctor Strange were in their more ceremonial outfits and cloaks.  
Everyone seemed at ease, just waiting around and adding last minute things to their outfits. I, however, was not at ease.  
These were the Avengers, who worked together and saved the world on many occasions. I was only an apprentice to the Sorcerer Supreme. Though that wasn't why I was currently sitting at a table and attempting to do my own make up. No, I was here because it was Avengers and their partners. And as partner to Doctor Strange, in every sense of the word, my presence was suggested by Pepper and downright demanded by Stephen.  
My hand slipped and I let out a low growl.  
"What's the problem?" Stephen asked, looking over at me from his place in the armchair.  
"Hand slipped, I messed up my eyeliner," I sighed. "Again."  
Without even looking up, Natasha called out. "Barton, Sarah needs make up help."  
I looked in confusion as Clint Barton stood and loped over to where I was seated.  
He saw the look on my face and smiled. "We all used to help each other in the circus. I'd wager that I'm the best at this in the room."  
He certainly couldn't be any worse than I was, so I pushed the make up across.  
In about ten minutes, my make up had been totally redone and it looked like it had been done by a professional.

It had been decided that Tony and Pepper would go down first, and then slowly the rest of the Avengers would trickle in.  
I was sitting on the couch, Doctor Strange beside me. He was restless and his eyes kept flicking from the clock to the door and back again. The tremor in his hands, normally controlled by his meditation and a little bit of magic, was back in full force.  
Gently, I took one of his hands in mine. "Hey, what's worrying you?"  
He turned to look at me, a shadow of something in his eyes.  
"The people out there, they're donating to the Avengers. They're people with money." He said.  
I nodded, sensing there was a bit more to it than just that.  
"There are investors, and other influential people of New York. I saw the guest list," he paused, letting his breath out slowly. "It included unit heads from Metro-General hospital."  
Now things made more sense. He wasn't worried about going out and meeting people in general. He was worried about his old colleagues seeing him now, seeing what he had become.  
"You were a better surgeon than the all of them combined, and now you're the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth." I told him.  
"I can't even hold a glass without my hand shaking!" he exclaimed, holding one out for me to see.  
"Not on your own, maybe. But that's the point. You are so much more now. You have a mastery of the mystic arts, and you were chosen by the Cloak of Levitation. Use them."  
Stephen Strange looked down at his hands, frowning.  
"What good am I if I can't even do the simplest things for myself?"  
"You helped save the Earth. I think you're plenty good. And you are a better person than you used to be, than they are now."  
He looked down, thinking. We were the only ones left in the lounge room now. There were two parts of him fighting. His own ego was warring with itself; one part knew that he was the Sorcerer Supreme and he held more power and could do more good now that he ever could as a surgeon. But the other part of him was telling him that they would see the scars and the tremor, the failure that he now was as a medical doctor.  
"Okay, this will see a little bizarre, but run with me here. Without moving, turn off the lights."  
Stephen just looked at me, confusion now another emotion crossing his face.  
"Just turn off the lights, please?" I asked again.  
The sorcerer sighed and then, with a flick of his wrist, the lights in the lounge dimmed to almost darkness.  
"Could any of them, any single unit head at Metro-General Hospital, do that?" I questioned him.  
"Of course not," he replied. "But they can hold a scalpel steady."  
"Yes, but that's the thing. They can ALL do that, and they're training more and more people to do that every day. What you do, there are far less people capable of doing anything of the sort. And none as good as you."  
I looked him straight in the eye, willing to hear what I was saying over the worries in his own head.  
Slowly, he blinked then nodded once.  
"Turn on the charm for me tonight. You've done it before. And that was before you had the cloak, and that facial hair." I smirked at him.  
He reached across and took my hand.  
"Alright, my dear. Let's go down and meet the public."  
Before the elevator doors opened, Doctor Strange turned and looked at me.  
"How in God's name did I survive before you? " He asked earnestly.  
"Sometimes I'm not sure. You just needed a little sympathy to disarm your insecurities. I didn't say anything that wasn't true."  
Then the doors opened, the noise from the party spilling in. Now it was show time.

It was roughly midway through the evening and I was standing by Bruce, talking to the scientist quietly. That's when I saw Doctor Nicodemus West, the new head of Neurosurgery, walk in the direction of Doctor Stephen Strange. I waited for a moment, tracking his movements. When it appeared that he was heading towards the man he once admired, I held up a hand.  
"I'm sorry Bruce." I inclined my head to where the Sorcerer Supreme was standing. "I think I need to go save my sorcerer."  
Bruce turned, looking at what was going on. Then a flash of recognition crossed his face.

"Is that…?" he began.

I nodded. "I don't think Stephen holds much resentment towards him, anymore. But I still think there may be a need for a mediator."  
"Go, go," he waved me off with a smile.

I hurried across the room as quickly as I could with all the people packing the room.

The two doctors were in conversation when I reached them, voices low but there wasn't much animosity.  
I made sure to approach from a side where Stephen could see me. When I got closer he reached a hand out to me, bringing me to his side.  
Doctor West looked me over. I was wearing a nice dress, a similar colour to the tunic that Stephen was wearing. I didn't look like the sorcerer that I was.  
"Doctor West, may I introduce you to Sarah." He had moved his hand to the small of my back.  
Nicodemus West took my hand, kissing it politely.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you," he told me. "How are you involved with the Avengers? Are you an assistant to Stark?"  
I tried my hardest to not roll my eyes. I succeeded, but Stephen had seen the struggle and was smirking slightly.  
"Actually, no. I'm apprentice in the Mystic Arts. I work with Doctor Strange," I told him.  
Doctor West eyed me.  
"You work for Doctor Strange?"  
I shook my head slightly. "No, I work WITH him. He is the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth and there is a lot that I can learn."  
Nicodemus West looked at me in a different way.  
"He works with you? He TEACHES you?" The man seemed bewildered. "He doesn't mock you, or belittle you?"  
I smiled, feeling Stephen's hand tense where it was resting on my back.  
"Stephen Strange is an incredible teacher. He won't accept any slacking, he demands the best from those around him."  
The other man pursed his lips.  
"No, he's not the same man you once knew." I spoke when I saw the thought cross his face.  
He nodded once. "So why are you here then, Strange?"  
Both Doctor Strange and the Cloak of Levitation bristled.  
"Excuse me?" his voice was sharp and he withdrew his hand from my back. I could tell he was preparing for a fight.  
"This is an event for public to meet the Avengers." He spoke like he was talking to a child. "So why are you and your apprentice here?"  
I sighed.  
"Both Sarah and I work alongside the Avengers to keep the Earth safe. Occasionally these threats are of a more interdimensional origin than an alien origin." Stephen spoke sharply and clearly, his patience thin.  
"You work in a team then?" West was getting angry, but I wasn't sure why. I assumed it had something to do with their shared past.  
"We all have different strengths, and we use those to best protect our planet and everybody on it." Strange's lips were pursed and I slowly wound one of my hands through his own. My right in his left, leaving his dominant hand free.  
It was at that moment that Tony Stark came to stand us.  
"Ah Stephen, Sarah. I see you've met Doctor West," he smiled at as, but I could see a strained edge to his smile. This was definitely the publicity smile, not a genuine one. Someone, most probably Bruce, had tipped him off to the conversation going on over here.  
"Hello Tony," West smiled charmingly at him. "I was just catching up with Stephen. It's been such a long time since we worked together."  
"Ah yes," Tony nodded slowly. "You both worked at Metro-General didn't you?"  
Stephen shot Tony a look, telling him to not go there. Tony understood and changed the subject.  
"How lucky is Stephen, getting such a smart girl as Sarah."  
I rolled my eyes, of course Stark would go for that line of conversation.  
"I can see she would be quite a good apprentice," West replied diplomatically.  
"Apprentice?" Tony asked, then his eyes widened. "Oh, they didn't tell you? They don't just work together, they are together."  
West looked at us again, more assessing.  
"You should have mentioned," West said in slight shock.  
Stephen shrugged. "We weren't exactly hiding it. Not our fault you weren't observant enough to notice."  
I tightened my grip on his hand slightly in warning. No need to start an argument when we were hoping for funding.  
"They make such a wonderful couple, and they work together like no team I've ever seen." Tony continued.  
"I didn't think I'd see the day that Stephen Strange settled down," West commented.  
"I've found someone who is in it for the bitter end," Stephen replied. "Sarah understands me, and what I'm trying to achieve."  
"Being the best at what you do?" West interrupted with a small sneer.  
I huffed but before Tony or I could talk, Stephen replied.  
"I work to be the best at what I do, so that I can protect this reality. The Avengers rely on me to help me protect the planet, and they are the best at what they do. If I messed up in surgery, then I could lose a patient. If I do something wrong now, it may affect the entire planet. I don't know about you, but I've found that our consciences are always so much heavier than our egos."  
West gaped at Stephen, while Tony and I smiled. This was the man I had fallen for.  
With a nod, Strange took his leave and I followed, allowing Tony to make more small talk with the man.

We walked rounds of the room, making small talk. For the rest of the night we avoided any other people from the Metro-general hospital. Tony, Pepper and even Steve kept them occupied, probably in best interest of everyone attending honestly.

It was just past midnight when the Avengers all reconvened. Earlier they were sitting gracefully with their clothing neat, they were now sprawled across various surfaces, and mostly half dressed. Every single male Avenger had removed their ties, with their jackets either undone or totally discarded. Nat, Pepper and I had taken off our shoes, mine left by the door when I walked in.  
"Your old co-workers are dicks, Strange." Clint commented.  
Stephen smirked. "They are, aren't they?"  
"How did you ever work with them?" He asked.  
"I was even worse than all of them combined," he informed the archer.  
"I'm glad I didn't know you before then," Pepper commented. "Tony's ego is big enough for the whole team."  
Tony put a hand over his heart, an over exaggerated look of hurt on his face. "You wound me, Pep!"  
She just rolled her eyes at him.  
"I have to agree with Pepper, Stephen," I said gently. "I don't think we would have gotten along very well."  
I sat down next to him on the couch, lying my feet over his legs.  
He rested his hands on my legs.  
"That was then, this is now." He said to the room at large.  
"So now I'm taking every chance I've got to be the man I know I'm not." That was whispered into my hair.  
I lay back against the chair and closed my eyes.  
"Don't be so hard on yourself," I murmured. "You're the Sorcerer Supreme."  
"Sometimes, I don't feel it," He said honestly.  
"Between you, me and Wong, we'll figure it out with a little more time."  
"Yea," he agreed. "Yea we will."


End file.
